The Perils of OIRA Regulatory Review

Reforms Needed to Address Rampant Delays and Secrecy

June 12, 2012 —
A
small but powerful White House agency that reviews proposed regulations
consistently takes an anti-regulatory posture, but its true impact cannot be
discerned because the agency is shrouded in secrecy, a new Public Citizen report
concludes.
The
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which resides within the White
House’s Office of Management and Budget, delays and blocks many proposed
health, safety and environmental standards. It has a time frame in which it is
supposed to review new rules – 90 days, set by an executive order issued by
President Bill Clinton. But it suffers no consequences if it misses that
deadline.

As of May, 51 rules had been under review by
OIRA for more than a year, while 87 rules had been under review for more than
the 90-day limit. A full 23 rules have been under review since 2011, while
three rules have been sitting at the agency since 2010. This year, the average
review times has risen to 199 days, more than double the average review period
of the Bush administration.

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